Counter-Strike: Source

Several hours of Steam downtime on Sunday left poor PC gamers unable to play their Steam games, caused by a power failure at Valve's data center. Initial reports suggest some of the desperate afflicted resorted to archaic and torturous forms of Sunday afternoon entertainment, including taking a stroll in the countryside, imbibing ale in a pub, and conversing with loved ones.

"Our data center's uninterruptible power supplies experienced a power failure," Valve's Al Farnsworth explained on the Steam forums. "We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Over 5 million Steam users were online when the troubles began at around 10:30am Pacific on Sunday. Some members of our fine Shacknews community reported not being able to use any part of Steam, while others could apparently still play games. The servers were back up and running by about 2:20pm.

As promised, Valve has released Counter-Strike: Source for Mac via its digital distribution platform Steam alongside that hefty update for the PC version it's been testing.

In commemoration of Mac owners getting the game and PC owners getting the update, Valve has briefly discounted the multiplayer shooter by 66%, making it $6.80.

As with Valve's other Steam for Mac releases, those that already own the game on Steam for PC will be able to download a free copy of the Mac version, with those that buy the game getting both versions for the price of one. Additionally, Counter-Strike: Source supports cross-platform play, enabling PC and Mac gamers to play together.

An "extensive update" for Counter-Strike: Source (PC) is now available to owners of the multiplayer shooter by way of a limited beta, Valve Software has announced.

"The update includes a host of new features and functionality developed in collaboration with Hidden Path Studios," explained Valve. "This beta will run for a limited time, and once complete, the update will be deployed to all Counter-Strike: Source owners for free."

Among that "host of new features and functionality" you'll find the following: